Ridden with inaccuracies, half truths, and plain old news.
Archive for February, 2009
White Van Man to become Green Van Man?
Feb 27th
The White Van Man and Man With A Van have been present on Britain’s roads for years but they could soon be replaced by the Green Van Man and the Man With An Eco-Van. Volkswagen have announced plans to launch an ecologically (and economically) friendly version of their much used caddy van.
The Caddy EcoFuel and the larger Caddy Maxi EcoFuel will go on sale this summer and will be powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The new vans will be cheaper to run as well as producing fewer harmful emissions. CNG costs roughly half the price of Diesel.
A VW van running on CNG will produce 50% less Carbon Monoxide and emissions of Nitrogen Oxide will be about 97% reduced. The vans will also run on Biomethane which may soon be available at regular petrol stations and old fashioned Petrol should you run out of gas.
The Caddy EcoFuel will not be the only CNG vans for sale as Opal and Mercedes-Benz are looking into new models for production.
Is Fashion Recession Proof?
Feb 26th
The stalling economy has had a significant effect on the high street with high profile stores closing as consumer spending being reduced. At times like this you would expect those selling non essential goods to be restrained but the major fashion houses aren’t known for their restraint.
New York Fashion Week featured the combination of dependable traditional items (to wear this season and next) with bursts of bright colours, perhaps designed to combat negativity. London Fashion Week was apparently a cheerful affair also with street photographers more interested in the outfits of those in the front row than on the catwalk.
It is likely to be the high street shops which copy high fashion for the masses who will suffer as people try to reduce their outgoings. Those who are able to afford luxury handbags aren’t hit as hard by the recession, that’s the theory at least. So while luxury gifts are still selling its the cheap copies with small margins which are hit worst.
Paul Smith has offered advice on how to recession proof your wardrobe including the suggestion that you “cheer yourself up with a scarf or a sock, a tie or a belt, adding to your existing look, rather than changing your entire wardrobe.”
Is There Any Benefit To Drinking Water?
Feb 25th
It’s a well know fact that we should try to drink eight glasses of water a day. Like a lot of well know facts it isn’t correct.
If we actually drank what was recomended we might well have to spend half of the day on the toilet. We would spend the other half of the day completely confused. As well as 8 glasses of water we have been told that a glass of wine a day is good for us. We have also been warned about the dangers of one glass of wine a day.
We are told that too much cafine is bad for us yet Drinking two cups of coffee a day cuts stroke risk by 20%. What is too much coffee? Three cups? Five cups? When my eye starts twitching and I am unable to focus on one thing for more than one minute have I had too much or not enough coffee?
The eight glasses of water a day myth was busted by Snopes years ago but how important is water? An Independant article from last year says:
The review of research by Dan Negoianu and Stanley Goldfarb, from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, found not a single study included the recommendation to drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day.
Although one small study suggested that drinking water could result in fewer headaches, the results were not statistically significant.
The benefits of drinking a pint of water before bed after a night’s drinking to ward off a hangover are, separately, well established.
No studies showed any benefit to skin tone as a result of increased water intake. Dehydration can make skin less plump, but there was no solid evidence to back up the claim water helps people maintain a youthful appearance.
The authors also found no evidence that drinking lots of water benefits the body’s organs.
It’s worth pointing out that 8 cups of black coffee a day (which i’m farely certain is an unhealthy amount) would contain the same amount of liquid as 8 cups of water. Beer and Wine are also hydrating even if the alcohol content can have a slight dehydrating effect.
The English drink Tea in vast quantities, infact i’m sure some of the elder members of my family drink nothing but. Perhaps the best plan is just to drink everything in moderation although if we were meant to drink Beer in moderation it wouldn’t be served by the pint would it?
Are Car Clubs And Car Hire Better Than Owning A Car?
Feb 24th
Last week I wrote about the emerging trend of hiring a car rather than owning one. The idea being that if you just rent a car when you need one (which might be less often than you think) it will work out cheaper and better for the environment in the long run.
Apparently this idea is taking off and a recent Guardian article I just found has some stats to back it up. The average family spends over £2500 on their car each year including insurance, upkeep and fuel. The AA has predicted a rise in insurance premiums this year so that figure may rise. Another estimate puts the average annual spend at £2749 compared to around £700 to join a car club or use a normal car hire company such as easyCar.
Car clubs are mostly popular with those who only use their car occasional such as those who live in the city and commute by train, bike or on foot. The ecologically conscious are also turning to car hire as a way to reduce their carbon footprints. While they are still using a car, they only do so when necessary.
There are other benefits to choosing car rental over owning a car as well. If you drive to the airport when going on holiday there are parking cost to be considered. Use airport car hire and you don’t have to worry about that, you can even use a different drop off point for one-way trips.
Is your password too obvious?
Feb 20th
An internet security expert has said that broadband users need to vary their passwords more. We should use a different password for each site that we log in to and try to avoid obvious passwords. Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos says that as we use so many different sites it is important to use different passwords for each to avoid loosing our online identity. Having a different password for each site helps you to stay safe if someone gains access to your information.
The most commonly used passwords are
- password
- 123456
- qwerty
- abc123
- letmein
- monkey
- myspace1
- password1
- link182
- (your first name)
A good password is one that is hard to guess but easy to remember.
Recent Comments